1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conveying apparatus that collects materials such as debris from one location and automatically deposits it at a second location, and more particularly to an air conveying apparatus that allows heavier particles to drop out of a stream moving through the apparatus and filters finer particles from the stream.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes a large number of air conveying systems and devices designed for a wide variety of applications. Some of these prior devices are consumer products designed for intermittent household use. Others are heavy duty, complex systems designed to move large volumes of materials from one location to another. These heavy duty systems sometimes operate under conditions that make them susceptible to malfunction.
The prior heavy duty systems also suffer a number of other disadvantages: (1) They typically do not allow an initial separation of heavy solids, and thus the various components in the systems tend to wear at an accelerated rate. (2) They have filter elements that require frequent cleaning or replacement. (3) They require manual removal of material from their housings. (4) They have complex constructions which increase the cost of fabrication.
The air conveying apparatus of the present invention avoids the disadvantages of the prior systems. It is a simple construction that minimizes the cost of assembly. It moves liquids a well as solids from one location to a second location and automatically deposits them at the second location without having to change between liquid and solid cycles. It does so quickly and efficiently, allowing initial separation of large objects, then subsequent filtering of finer particles.